Alexander mcdougald



(No Model.)

A. MGDOUGALD.

GAB. GOUPLING.

No. 427,602. Patented May 13, 1890.

NITE@ STATES PATENT Orrrcla ALEXANDER MCDOUGALD, OF MADAVASKA STATION, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO IIIMSELF, M. J. GRADY, AND XV. lV. ROCHE, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,602, dated May 13, 189'0.

Application tiled September 19, 1889. Serial No. 324,383. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER McDou- GALD, of Madawaska Station,in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to mal-:e and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in car-couplers.

The obj ect of the invention is to provide an improved automatic pin holding and dropping and link raising and guiding attachment for car-couplers exceedingly simple, cheap, and durable in construction,not easily broken, and automatic, sure, and reliable in operation. This object is accomplished by and my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in combinations of part-s, more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of two approaching coupling-heads provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front end view of a coupling-head. Fig. 3 is a top plan of a coupling-head, the upper portion of the swinging frame or lever being partially broken away.

In the drawings, the reference-letter a indicates a coupling-head of the link-and-pin style and carried by the usual draw-bar b.

In carrying out my invention the couplinghead is fitted with one or more supporting straps or bands c, connected together and preferably extending belowthe head to receivel securing-bolts. The front band e supports a vertically-swinging operating lever or frame d, extending above and below the head and composed of a pair of upright connected arms located on opposite sides of the head and pivoted Within their length at cto opposite sides of the front band c. Above the head the lever is provided with a horizontal cross-bar f, located directly above the pin-hole g of the head when said lever is in its vertical position, and said cross-bar is provided with a central recess 71, in the rear edge to receive the pin t', and the pin is detachably held in said recess and supported by said bar by means of a spring-arm j, secured at one end and extending along the rear edge of the cross-bar, and at its opposite free end provided with a projection j', extending forwardly through and normally beyond an opening in a buffer or guard 7c, rigidly secured on the front upper portion of the swinging lever. The two arms of the lever extend a distance below the head, as shown, and are preferably bent in at their ends to hold and operate the pivoted link-lifter Z, which is pivoted beneath the car at its rear end to a rear band c to allow its free end to be swung up and down by the lever beneath the open end of the head. The outer end of the link-lifter is extended upwardly, as shown, at the front end of the(V head to engage and hold the link and raise the same to a position opposite the coupling opening of the head.

Near their rear portions the sides ofthe link-lifter are provided with downward bends or bulges m and corresponding upward bulges or recesses between said bends and the free end of the lifter, so that when the lever is in its normal upright position the ends of its arms will rest in the recesses and the linklifter will hang down in its normal position out of the way, and the openings through which passes 'the securing-bolt, on which the lifter is pivoted, are elongated, as shown, so that when the heads are coupled the lifters can be pushed back a slight distance out of the way.

Then it is desired to couple the cars, the link is secured to one head in the usual manner by the pin and the free end of the linklifter is raised with one hand, so that the upper end of the operating-lever can be swung forward to project beyond the front end of the head, (see righthand head of Fig. 1,) whereby the lower ends of said lever rest against the lifter justin rear of the downward bends and hold the free end. of the lifter just beneath the link.

The operating-lever of the opposite coupling-head is placed in its upright position and the pin placed through the opening of the cross-bar with its lower cndin the pin-opening IOO ofthe head and supported by its head. Thus as the two heads approach each other the buffer of the depressed lever will strike the buier of the upright lever about the same instant or just afterthe link enters the link-opening of the opposite head, thereby pressing in the projection j of the spring-arm j, holding the pin and pushing back said spring, and automatically dropping the pin, and when the depressed lever engages the opposite lever it is forced back to its upright position, and hence swinging its lower end forward against the downward bends of the link-lifter, and hence raising the same and with it the link, which is thereby guided into the link-openin g ol' the opposite coupler.

The attachment is provided with stops a to prevent the upper portion of the lever swinging back beyond the point shown by right-hand head of Fig. l.

It is evident that Various slight changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction herein set fOrth.

l. The combination, with a link-and-pin coupling-head, of a link lifter and guide pivoted at its rear and extending out in front of the head and an automatic swinging operating-lever at its lower end supporting the free end of said lifter and adapted to operate the same, and extending above the head and adapted to swing out in front of the same, and provided with a butter and an automatic pindropper at its upper end, substantially as described..

2. An attachment for a coupling-head, comprising supporting-bands adapted to be secured upon the head, a swinging link-lifter carried by one or more of said bands, and a swinging operating-lever carried by one or more of said bands and adapted to operate the lit'ter and to be swung by an opposing coupler, and provided with an automatic pindropping device to be operated by an opposing coupler, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a coupling-head, of an operating lever or frame extending above and below the head and pivoted in its length to swing back and forth in a vertical plane, said lever being provided with means above the head to carry and automatically drop a coupling-pin, and a link-lifter pivoted at its rear end at the under side of the head and having its front end supported by said lever and adapted to be swung by the lever to engage and raise the link, substantially as described.

4. A swinging' operating-leverpivoted within its length to a coupling-head and extending above and below and adapted to having its upper end swung in front of the head, and a link-lifter on the under side of the head pivoted at its'rear end and having its free end bent up to engage thc link, said lifter loosely resting on the lower ends of said lever and so formed that when the upper end of the leveris swung back the free end of the litter will be swung up to lift the link, the free end of the link being supported and swung by the lower end of the lever, substantially as described.

5. A coupling-head having a pin-hole, in combination with a lever or frame above the head and hole and having a cross-bar provided with a recess to receive the pin, and a spring-arm to hold the pin in the recess and in readiness to drop into said hole, said arm being provided with a projection extending forwardly through a buffer on said frame, Jfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER MCDOUGALD.

lVi tn esses:

SAMUEL J. DEMPsAY, WILLIAM W. ROCHE. 

